Lavender Lemonade

Ingredients:

For the Lavender Syrup:

• 1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 cups boiling water

For the Lavender Lemonade:

• 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 2 cups cold water, plus more as needed

• Ice

• Thinly sliced lemons and a few lavender sprigs, for optional garnish

Instructions:

1. Make the Lavender Syrup:

   • Place the dried lavender flowers in a medium bowl (preferably not Pyrex, which can crack when you add boiling water).

   • Pour the sugar over the flowers, and use your (clean) fingers to gently rub the flowers into the sugar.

   • Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the lavender sugar and stir with a spoon until the sugar has melted.

   • Cover and let infuse for 30 minutes (or up to several hours).

   • Strain the syrup to remove the lavender buds and pour into a serving carafe or pitcher.

2. Make the lemonade to taste:

   • Stir in the lemon juice.

   • Add another 2 cups of cold water.

   • Taste and adjust for tartness.

   • Add more lemon juice if too sweet. Add more sugar if too tart. Add ice and more water to your desired level of concentration.

     Note that the ice will melt eventually, further diluting the drink.

3. Garnish and Serve:

   • Add some thinly sliced lemons and a few lavender sprigs to the serving pitcher for presentation if you so desire.

For those of you suffering from the sweltering summer heat, here's a suggestion for a cooling drink: lavender-infused lemonade! Both lemons and lavender grow in abundance here (in California and my backyard). So, it was just a matter of time before they became acquainted.

A Little Lavender Goes a Long Way

Lavender is edible, though English lavender and Provence lavender are most often used for culinary purposes. Here's the tip with lavender: It doesn't take much. Use it sparingly, like rosemary (which would also be terrific in lemonade, by the way).

Too much and your lemonade may taste like expensive soap. But just a little? Lovely.